On November 1st, The Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) hosted the Eleventh Annual ASMEA Conference: Tradition, Evolution and Revolution in the Middle East and Africa. The conference featured Dr. Michael Sharnoff, the Director of Regional Studies at Daniel Morgan Graduate School, who moderated one panel on Syria and delivered a paper in another panel on Saudi-Israel relations. Keynote speakers included the Hon. Mithal Al-Alusi, an Iraqi politician and leader of the Ummah Party.

Sharnoff’s expertise stems from his experience living and studying in the Middle East. He applies this knowledge in the classroom to help students gain a more in-depth understanding of the history and politics of the region. Students enrolled in Dr. Sharnoff’s courses also develop critical thinking and writing skills to prepare them as specialists on a region of strategic significance to national security in the public and private sector.

Program Chair

Dr. Michael Sharnoff is the Director of Regional Studies at DMGS, where he is an Associate Professor of Middle East Studies. He is the author of Nasser’s Peace: Egypt’s Response to the 1967 War with Israel (2017).

Dr. Sharnoff has traveled extensively in the Middle East and has lived in three major world capitals. He has congressional experience on Capitol Hill; worked at influential policy centers in Washington; and publishes frequently on the Middle East. His articles have appeared in major publications including The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, Al Arabiya, Palestine-Israel Journal and Your Middle East. He completed a Ph.D. in Middle East Studies from King’s College, London, and his research interests include the Arab-Israeli conflict, Political Islam and contemporary Middle Eastern history.